Ex-Anambra commissioner urges Igbos to learn from southwest and stop being primordial

FORMER Anambra State commissioner Chima Okafor has urged Nigeria's Igbos to learn how to play politics from their southwestern neighbours following the recent general elections that has left the southeast in the political wilderness.

 

During Nigeria's recent elections, the Igbo-speaking southeast voted heavily for President Goodluck Jonathan and his People's Democratic Party (PDP) in both the National Assembly and presidential elections. Following the victory of General Muhammadu Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC), the southeast is now left stranded as it cannot produce principal officers of the National Assembly.

 

With all the 15 senators from the southeast coming from the PDP, the zone is unable to produce the senate president or its deputy despite the APC zoning the position to the southeast. Likewise, in the House of Representatives, the southeast only has two APC members and both of them are newcomers, so neither can become speaker.

 

Castigating the southeast for not being politically astute, Mr Okafor, a former commissioner of commerce, industry and tourism in Anambra State, said Ndigbo must take a leaf from the APC leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Mr Okafor was the coordinator of the APC campaign council in Anambra State during the elections, added that Ndigbo have to eschew short-term monetary gains if they want to be relevant politically.

 

Mr Okafor added: "This election has exposed the underbellies of Igbo leadership and the cause for re-thinking, as where hustlers parade themselves as Igbo leaders it becomes a tragedy for us. We are trying to start a new thing so that our people will see beyond porridges and have principle stands on matters.

 

 "Let me I give you one instance, the former Anambra State governor Peter Obi was in a position to do the same thing Senator Bola Tinubu did in the southwest and that is the difference between vision and porridge. When you see leadership, it comes with sacrifice and you must be focused on it as these things Asiwaju is doing were not a one-day thing but people have seen what he has done now."

 

According to Mr Okafor, Ndigbo had the opportunity to do the same thing in the southeast and their refusal to adopt such a principled stance is part of what made him leave the Anambra State government and join the APC. He added that if the southeast was focused, its five states would have been a key political player.

 

"We need to organise together to get the power block for Igbo presidency but it requires hard work, coming together first and foremost so that you can speak with one voice and have credible leaders. We are already in the process of that as the election that threw up General Buhari has already started a revolution in Igboland because it’s either they go to sleep or we force them to see so that we can follow the appropriate channel and key into the project.

Part of what we told our people, when we were selling the APC was that the party is a national party and it has shown in the election by spread. Per chance, if General Buhari runs eight years by rotation power comes down to south and if you have a power block, the natural thing will be that the southwest and south-south have had shots, so you trade-off with the two other power structures to say, please can we have a shot too," Mr Okafor added.

 

According to Mr Okafor, Ndigbo need to realise that times are changing as the president of the US, addressed Nigerians directly for the first time ever during the recent elections. He pointed out that eight opposition leaders have taken over in Africa and Ndigbo need to abandon their primordial fears that make them suspect every Hausa-Fulani person.